Europe's Rosetta craft swoops in close to comet it's been chasing, altitude under 4 miles

February 14, 2015 2:15 PM

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The Feb. 9, 2015 photo released by the European Space Agency ESA on Friday, Feb. 13, 2015 shows an image of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko taken by the Navcam camera of the Rosetta orbiter from a distance of 105km. The European Space Agency's Rosetta space probe has swooped in for a close look at the comet. Rosetta has been flying alongside the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and passed just 6 kilometers (less than 4 miles) above the comet’s surface on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015. (AP Photo/ESA/Rosetta/Navcam) (The Associated Press)

BERLIN – The European Space Agency has sent its Rosetta probe in for a close look at the comet it's been tracking for months, a swoop that scientists hope will provide them with detailed measurements and photos of its surface.